How To Take Photos That Stand The Test Of Time | Stoke-Ness
We have reached peak summer.
If you find yourself wondering what you did with your free time, I bet it was some combo of swimming, sunning and eating ice cream.
In this issue, I share a beautiful video about the Sahara Desert, the most fun mountain bike I've ever ridden and a book recommended by Forrest Mankins.
Be stoked,
Isaac
New Places
Uganda
If you guessed this month's New Place was going to be Uganda, then you were paying attention. I had to feature this incredible country after the most intense week I spent there in July.
Different from my usual trips, this trip I was volunteering for humanitarian work with the organization Atlas and Arrow. We made a video to help an Orphanage raise money to save 3-year-olds from Children's Prison and young girls from becoming child brides. Like I said, intense.
We had one day off and headed to Queen Elizabeth National Park where we saw hundreds of elephants, hippos and antelope. We also saw a lion napping in a tree (which is unique to this park).
If you are interested in donating your time or money to a place that needs it you can follow the link below to help.
Atlas and Arrow
Gear
GT Sanction Pro mountain bike
I grew up riding BMX and hucking off of any jump I could find. One summer I built ramps in my parent's yard and rode them every day. I even rode them on the day of my sister's wedding. I wrecked hard, giving myself a concussion and skinning my face up just before the ceremony. My parents must have been pissed but I can't remember lol.
Naturally, mountain biking was a perfect fit for my excitement addiction. When GT sent me a Sanction Pro mountain bike recently, I jumped at the chance to rally some trails and use it for deep backcountry access.
The bike is an "enduro" model which means that it can go up the hills with ease and down them with speed. I'd say that GT designed this bike with a downhill bias. It's got the suspension travel and geometry that made me feel comfortable to push limits I wouldn't have when I was still a young BMX rider.
This week I'll be doing my first backcountry traverse and I'm 100% confident that the build quality of this bike will handle the miles with ease.
It's not the cheapest bike around, but at $4,200 it's not what would qualify as an expensive mountain bike these days. I can honestly say that after spending a season on a $9k carbon framed bike last year, this is a better, more fun bike.
Read more about it Here
P.S. GT sent me this bike to use and review. If it sucked I'd tell ya.
Who I'm loving on Instagram
@maxmarty_
Max is a photographer from Montana that does not get enough credit. His work has quickly become unmistakeable for its soft blues and serene high alpine scenes.
I specifically like his Montana photos because they are all places I know, but taken with a perspective I've never seen.
Give him a follow here
Music I'm Diggin'
Me and My Freinds - James Vincent McMorrow
This might just be my summer jam.
I find my self unconsciously bobbing my head to it when I'm crammed in the middle seat between to strangers on a flight. It's that catchy, I lose all my self-awareness.
It's the kinda song that ends too early and you end up playing it through again and again.
Give it a spin on Spotify here.
Videos, Movies, and TV
The Backbone of the Sahara
A short film about the most remote railway line in the world, this film is stunning.
It doesn't feel like a National Geographic, instead, it has a more cinematic feel. A thrumming soundtrack and perfect sounds of the environment make it feel like you are right in the middle of the vast desert with the nomadic people.
The story of how this train shaped this area and continues to be a lifeline is fascinating.
10/10 would recommend.
Watch it here
Reads
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
This month I'm featuring my good friend @forrestmankins. He is sharing a book he recommended to the guys over at Huckberry.
"At first glance, it’s an easygoing road trip through Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and California with a father and his son, but things quickly turn deeper. As the trip progresses, the philosophical idea of Quality, in both Classic (functional) and Romantic (aesthetic) forms, is interjected throughout the evermore intricate and beguiling storyline. We vacillate between the present tense day-to-day happenings of the trip, chautauquas on the metaphysics of Quality, and flashbacks from the protagonist’s forgotten past, all of which build a shattered windowpane’s view of the story as a whole. This book was a great summer companion while camping in Montana and Wyoming, and I couldn’t wait for a rainstorm or some other excuse to hop in the camper, make a cup of coffee, and read. We soon begin to learn about the protagonist’s forgotten life, with the question of Quality being the catalyst."
- Forrest Mankins
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Photo Technique
How to shoot Photos you will like 5 years from now
I've recently been looking back on the last few years of my work. I noticed that the photos I love most are not the same photos that I was most excited about at the time.
Here are a few things I noticed about the images that still resonate with me.
The photos are of things I love and am connected to. People, places, activities. I took a lot of photos of pretty places and things that I didn't have a connection to and now when I look back on those photos there is no stir of emotion.
There is a gravity to take photos that get likes on social media and ignore what you love. Ten years from now social media will have changed and my art will be better if I made it for my taste not "likes".My edits were minimal. Heavy-handed editing doesn't age well. Whenever I used moderation and don't force a bad photo to look good with editing it still looks good years down the road.
I didn't shoot a photo I had seen before. I know some photographers collect "bangers" like playing cards. I have no criticism of that, but my favorite photos are of scenes I've never seen or an alternate perspective of a familiar scene.
These are my observations about my own work and what I noticed feels timeless after a few years. I hope it encourages you to look at your photos and point out what you like best as a roadmap for future greatness.
One last note:
I'm going to be spending the rest of the year making stories about outdoor activities and extreme sports. Are you an outdoor athlete? If so, I'd love to meet you and tell your story.
Just reply to this email with your details.
Be stoked and have a great month,
Isaac
